Mumbai, November 4, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) core committee, headed by party president and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, on Wednesday decided that its ministers and legislators would meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis after Diwali to seek early completion of the ongoing CID investigation into the death of Ajit Pawar in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28.
The party will also renew its demand for a CBI enquiry into the crash. The move comes amid repeated allegations by NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar that the state government is delaying the investigation.
According to party sources, the decision follows Ajit Pawar’s son Jay Pawar’s October 28 visit to the CID headquarters in Pune, where he sought an update on the investigation timeline and pending technical clearance reports, and stressed the need for transparency and an early conclusion.
CID officials have maintained that the investigation is progressing, with technical reports and inputs from specialised civil aviation agencies being evaluated. The Maharashtra government had recommended transferring the case to the CBI in February 2026 following demands from Sunetra Pawar and other senior NCP leaders.
Chief Minister Fadnavis had clarified that the CBI’s active criminal or sabotage investigation would formally proceed after the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) releases its final technical findings.
The core committee also reviewed the ongoing legal dispute between the Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar factions of the NCP in the Supreme Court. It unanimously decided to contest the case with the assistance of senior legal counsels.
The dispute concerns the Election Commission of India’s decision to recognise the Ajit Pawar faction as the official NCP and allot it the original ‘Clock’ symbol. The Sharad Pawar faction challenged the decision, following which the Supreme Court issued notice to the Ajit Pawar faction and allowed the dispute to be adjudicated on its merits.
The court’s interim arrangements permit the Ajit Pawar faction to use the ‘Clock’ symbol subject to a disclaimer stating that its allocation is sub judice. The Sharad Pawar faction has been recognised under the name ‘Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar’ and allotted the ‘Man Blowing Turha’ symbol.
The core committee meeting was attended by Working President Praful Patel, Maharashtra unit chief Sunil Tatkare, ministers Chhagan Bhujbal and Hasan Mushrif, former ministers Dilip Walse Patil and Dhananjay Munde, party MP Parth Pawar and youth leader Jay Pawar.
The meeting also took place amid reported differences between senior leaders and younger members over the party’s functioning and decision-making. It was the second core committee meeting after senior leaders met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday. On Tuesday, party legislators and leaders had reportedly expressed concern that internal friction was weakening the organisation and leaving grassroots workers uncertain about its direction.
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